With customized home feeds becoming more popular across the
social-media ecosystem, Instagram has begun testing new ways for users to select which types of content they are seeking from the platform’s recommendation algorithm.
From the app’s
home screen, users may begin seeing the option to inform Instagram what content they want to see more and less of, as well as which topics -- for example, “World Cup,” “Summer
vacation spots,” or “San Francisco restaurants” -- they want to surface across their Reels and home feeds.
The algorithm customization options Instagram is currently testing
and developing are made to be tuned in real time, so as not to pause or stop the user’s scrolling and/or viewing experience.
“Over time, we want your algorithm to feel like
something you talk to rather than something that happens to you,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote in a recent post.
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The updates build off of
Instagram’s “Your Algorithm” launch in 2024, which invited users to view and change the topics that most informed their Reels recommendations. This was similar to TikTok’s 2024
“Manage Topics” feature.
For the past few years, feed customization has become a more popular focus for social-media platforms, including Bluesky, YouTube, and Threads.
Last
week, LinkedIn began experimenting with a range of topic-focused content feeds recommended to users based on what they engage with most on the platform, as well as trending news stories that may be of
interest to LinkedIn's professional audience.
The proliferation of desired and valued content on individuals’ home and video feeds could potentially help marketers’ promotions stand
out by more closely aligning with a user's core interests.